Featured Article Summary #178

The Liberty Bell, originally known as the State House Bell or Old State House Bell, is a famous symbol of American independence in Philadelphia. It was first hung in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) and today it is displayed across the street in the Liberty Bell Center. Commissioned in 1752 from a London foundry, it was cast with the words “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land…”. Soon after arriving, the bell cracked, was recast twice by local workers, and in its early years it rang for public meetings and to summon lawmakers. After independence, it became less prominent until abolitionists in the 1830s adopted it as a symbol, and the crack became part of its legend in the 1800s. In the late 1900s and beyond, it was protected by the National Park Service, used as a freedom symbol during major political moments, moved to new display locations, and widely reproduced on coins, stamps, and in corporate branding. Philadelphia used its city bell to warn people about public announcements or dangers since the city’s founding in 1682. In 1751, as a bell tower was being built at the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall), leaders ordered a higher-quality bell from London so it could be heard from farther away. Isaac Norris instructed agent Robert Charles to find and send a well-made bell to be cast and marked with “Proclaim Liberty thro' all the Land to all the Inhabitants thereof” from Leviticus. The bell’s inscription calls on people to “Proclaim LIBERTY” and cites a Bible verse, with the order and date from the Pennsylvania Assembly. Robert Charles ordered the bell from England, but it cracked during the first test in Philadelphia, so local founders John Pass and John Stow melted it down, recast it with extra copper, and produced a new bell that was hung in the State House steeple. Later analysis suggested construction and recasting mistakes—especially problems with the metal mix—made the bell unusually brittle, so it failed and was also easy for people to chip. Because some people were unhappy with the first bell, a second one was ordered, and in 1754 the Assembly voted to keep both: the new bell was used with the clock and the old bell was reassigned for other purposes. The bell was used for public life, including summoning the Assembly and churches, and it was even involved in complaints in the 1770s about being rung too often. While it is often said the Liberty Bell rang when the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, there’s no direct evidence; however, bells across Philadelphia were likely rung when the Declaration was read publicly a few days later. During the Revolutionary War, people feared the British would seize the Liberty Bell and melt it down for weapons if they took Philadelphia. After the British defeated Washington at the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777, the bell was quickly moved to Allentown and hidden under the floor boards of Zion German Reformed Church while the British occupied Philadelphia. It stayed hidden for nine months, was later returned and rehung, and after the war it was used for public events and reminders before the city bought Independence Hall and the bell.